The Fairbanks North Star Borough is encouraging residents of Fairbanks to sign up for the Smart911 database.
Users enter information about their household, medical conditions, medications, pets and other information to the website or app. Then when they call 911, the dispatcher sees all of the information on their screen and can give the information to emergency services or the hospital so they can provide better care.
Borough Emergency Manager Baird Stiefel said that Fairbanks is the first city in Alaska to implement the system and encourages residents to take advantage of the service.
“Often times when we are hurt, we might not be able to talk, or we might be having difficulty breathing. And so that saves a step and makes help get there faster,” Stiefel said.